A yellow fleece Hug Me Kitten just joined my slugs over in my toy shop. She, or he, has a rose-pink heart with lavender stars.

She has a curvy tail in back.

I have been spending my time sewing what I refer to as “slug butts”, all the circles that go on the bottoms of my toys. I chose to try to make my toy parts in groups, which, I hope, will mean more toys in the long term, even though it looks like fewer in the short term. I do have lots of Hug Me Slugs, in different sizes and colors at the moment, if anyone is looking for one that isn’t in the shop. I can finish them in any order.

The heat has been terrible, but we got a slight break recently. I was able to get one more tree planted late in the day. I also take our cat, Jude, on his walks around the yard, in the evening. There is no negotiating with him on this. Our cat friends next door like to join us for tree planting and cat walking. One even likes to watch me mow the lawn. Last night, I heard rustling in the bushes. I asked, “Who’s there?” and they each popped out. It is cute when they come over in a little pack.

When I put Jude back in the house, I give them some pets. Trouble asks me for treats now. So, I bring him some, which I put on the borderline, so our other neighbors’ cat won’t get angry. I take the bowl away as soon as he is done. I don’t want any kitty conflicts.

The long-haired gray kitty I was trying to catch has made a couple of appearances in the woods behind my neighbor’s house. I can’t catch him for now, as my neighbor doesn’t want us to trap there. I don’t want to lure his cats out of his yard with the food for the other cat, because I don’t want fights between them and my other neighbors’ cat, who hangs out on our front porch, which takes away my options for now. They would all show up for food. I am hoping the woods kitty is already neutered, and maybe belongs to someone on the other side of the trees. It is best for all the outdoor cats, if all of them have had their shots, and have been to the vet, and have been neutered and spayed, but I don’t want grief for trying to help. I don’t have any outdoor cats myself, but I want the others to be safe and healthy. We don’t want a colony to start either. At some point, my other neighbor will be able to set something up at her house, but they have renovations going on right now, to be followed by some construction, which makes the cats shy away.

I will keep working at getting more up, along with some other creatures.

I went out and picked up some supplies. I was surprised by how much the prices went up. I got what I needed on sale, but the regular price for this many glass-headed quilting pins, two packs of the kind I like to use, would be $17.98! And my stuffing is now at $11.99 a bag. Even on sale, they are still expensive.

Temperatures here are running between 95 and 101 degrees, but we had appointments for two strays, who have been showing up at my neighbors’ houses, to get them fixed and vaccinated. I only have a couple of photos, from afar, this handsome guy. He looks like Sasquatch peeking out from behind that tree.

I have been leaving food out for a week, in a trapping spot, and tried to trap from before 6am until after 10pm in the heat, with no luck. His friend, a gray-and-white cat, was next to the trap at one point during the night, but it was the moment I went to check the trap. He ran away.

The rest of the day was ridiculous, with one extremely talented girl kitty, a neighbors’ pet, who was an expert at cleaning all the food out of the trap, without stepping on the trip plate. She even carefully licked it off a piece of cardboard I put over the trip plate, to make the area more sensitive. I would come to check the trap, and it would either be open and empty, or closed because it had been jostled.

Then there was food that was left out, when I needed everyone to be hungry. It was hopeless. I got very tired, sweaty, and frustrated. Another kitty is going to take the second vet appointment, after the first had to be canceled. We will wait until the heat breaks, and try again in another spot, with the snack thief inside, I hope.

During my trapping fiasco, these guys got into a fight again. This time, I went inside and got a bowl of food to break it up instead of risking getting bitten. Santana reluctantly gave in to the food.

Trouble likes to follow me around. Trouble is the black-and-white cat’s name. Santana sees him as a rival. I didn’t see Santana on the other side of my dad’s car, when I said hello to Trouble, who had followed me home. This seemed to set Santana off again. I think Santana gets extremely jealous. He jumped on Trouble and fur was flying again. Trouble seems fine. Santana was limping a little. I didn’t get bitten.

Both belong to neighbors. I think they will eventually sort it out. This has happened with other neighbors’ cats and they adjusted. I like them all, and so I hope they can be friends. Most of the time they seem to tolerate each other.

I was done in, and didn’t want to even go outside or talk to anyone after all that. Oliver Bunny helped calm me down. He has been relaxing in the heat, with the air conditioning on, sometimes by himself, and sometimes with friends.

I don’t quite trust these two tabby girls with him, but they are very insistent about having bunny time. Oliver is popular and interesting. He is also brave. If they bother him, he grunts at them and I go shoo them away.

When he wants to be left alone, he stretches out next to the toilet, which is cooler.

He used to eat dandelion leaves, but he has been boycotting them. Instead, he has been eating huge amounts of cilantro. He is being picky. I got him some green leaf lettuce, and he didn’t want that either. Romaine is okay, but green leaf, not so much. He wants cilantro, carrots, and most of all, his banana slice in the morning. Banana slices make him very happy. A friend suggested he needs his own banana tree. I said he needs a tiny banana tree, that grows one slice at a time. He is little.

I am going to go get some bunny time, and some toy time in, and hide for a while. Tomorrow is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day! We will be having cake.

This is Gracie. She’s an American Shorthair silver tabby kitten with yellow-green eyes.

Gracie cordially invites you to her afternoon tea party.

She has a lovely flowered porcelain tea set complete with its own porcelain tray.

Gracie will have the tea ready to pour. Please bring cookies.

Gracie will be pleased to have a polite and friendly conversation.

She’s gotten all dressed up in her nicest blue dress. It has a white collar and white cuffs, trimmed with a rose border, and there is a lovely rose flower at the neckline.

Gracie is a one-of-a-kind work of art, and is meant for display only. She was sculpted from paperclay in multiple stages, to allow for drying and detailing.

Gracie was painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time. She is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Gracie is 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) She is 1 and 1/2 inches tall, not including her ears.